Published: Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at 2:51 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at 2:51 p.m.

Adam Pablo stood before about 120 residents in semi-rural Venice, gathered to talk about a 263-unit housing development they fear will disrupt the idyllic lifestyle they love.

"I probably know 25 percent of you," Pablo told the crowd. "And I don't really care if I know the other 75 percent. That's why I live out here."

They applauded. Five-acre homesteads attract certain types of settlers. They knew exactly what he meant.

As Pablo puts it, the city of Venice has annexed "a spearhead" into the rural land east of Interstate 75, six miles from City Hall.

"I think we all feel that way," Pablo explained later. "We're not deed-restricted people. We're not in each other's business. We're not a gated community, turning our neighbor in because he has mold on his roof."

But, as everyone at that meeting realized, change is coming.

The city's comprehensive growth plan has established potential living density at five units an acre — 25 times greater than what the land's zoning allows now and 25 times greater than what is allowed in Sarasota County.

The question is, how well does city culture mix with horses, bobcats and people who enjoy their solitude? The Woods at Venice, developer Neal Communities' plan for 151 acres at Jackson and Border roads, presents a microcosm of that tension.

And, what's happening in Venice may foreshadow the debate to come as the county moves toward the removal of regulations in its 2050 plan, which has limited development east of I-75.

The city annexed the Border Road property in 2008 at the end of a period in which developers and the owners of large tracts of land were trying to avoid the county's more restrictive 2050 rules. By annexing land into North Port or Venice, they could build more homes and maximize profit.

The results are reshaping Venice in the Laurel and Border roads area east of I-75.

Not including what has already been built at Willow Chase and the Venetian Golf and River Club, projects in the permitting pipeline could add 3,633 homes in Venice. All will come from land annexed in the last decade.

At 2.5 residents per unit, that could represent 9,082 new residents, boosting the city's population by about 45 percent.

"This is where planned growth is supposed to go, and finally it's started to come," says Venice senior planner Scott Pickett.

In this case, the arbitration of what could be a conflict rests with the Venice City Council.

Mayor John Holic says it's premature to come to any conclusions, but it appears the land is available for development and that the proposal fits the parameters of the city's comprehensive growth plan.

Neal Communities requests a zoning change from one home per five acres to two homes per acre. Allowing more homes will make the development more affordable and appeal to buyers who don't want multiple acres of property.

Company founder Pat Neal was not available to discuss the project, but he has said he's ready to talk with the neighbors for a third time. The first two meetings, required by the permitting process, occurred before people realized the ramifications of the changes that loom over their neighborhood.

"Pat wants to do the right thing," says Maryann Grgic, Neal's community and government relations director. "We're local. We're responsive. Issues that come up, we really try to go over and above."

Whether that extends to lopping off density remains to be seen. The neighbors hope so. "I don't fault him for being a developer," Pablo says. "But asking someone who's selling 3.6 houses a day to build a few less isn't an unreasonable request."

The de facto opposition leadership has fallen to Walt Rossman, who runs a printing business tied to the music industry; Pablo, a lifelong Border Road area resident and owner of two landscape companies; and Kevin Barton, who operates the nearby Wildlife Center of Venice, a rehabilitation facility.

Barton also owns property across Jackson Road from the proposed development.

They and their neighbors have formed an organization called Venice Area Citizens for Responsible Development. They've opened a Facebook page, called on county and city elected leaders, talked with staff from both jurisdictions, hired an attorney and mounted a grassroots campaign.

The neighbors fear that irrigation wells could deplete their source of drinking water, which also comes from wells. They worry about lights and traffic.

And, they say, the development raises the risk of flooding and threatens wildlife habitat.

In the last 20 years, the area, close to the Myakka River, has endured three 100-year floods.

FEMA's 1996 flood maps show all but the southwestern corner of the proposed Woods property lying in a "special flood hazard area."

Neighbors worry that if Neal Communities fills the land, it will leave floodwaters with no place to drain other than their properties.

"For a lot of us, one more foot of river rise is the difference between making it and losing everything," Pablo says.

The planned development also abuts the Sleeping Turtles Preserve and is just west of the T. Mabry Carlton Memorial Preserve and the Deer Creek Prairie Preserve. The preserves comprise a portion of a 101,500-acre complex of conservation lands that stretches into Manatee County and is known as the Myakka Island.

Together, they represent a local, regional and state effort to provide a wildlife corridor for species that need a lot of room to roam, says Julie Morris, who puts together parcels for that purpose through her Venice-based business, Wildlands Conservation.

State maps identify The Woods property as high priority for habitat conservation and resource value. That does not preclude development, Morris says, but she advocates a more moderate transition (one residence per five acres, for example) on the lands bordering the conservation areas.

That leaves greater freedom to protect the public's investment through techniques such as prescribed burns, especially important in the dry prairie and flatwoods that characterize the Myakka terrain, she said.

<p>Adam Pablo stood before about 120 residents in semi-rural Venice, gathered to talk about a 263-unit housing development they fear will disrupt the idyllic lifestyle they love.</p><p>"I probably know 25 percent of you," Pablo told the crowd. "And I don't really care if I know the other 75 percent. That's why I live out here."</p><p>They applauded. Five-acre homesteads attract certain types of settlers. They knew exactly what he meant.</p><p>As Pablo puts it, the city of Venice has annexed "a spearhead" into the rural land east of Interstate 75, six miles from City Hall.</p><p>"I think we all feel that way," Pablo explained later. "We're not deed-restricted people. We're not in each other's business. We're not a gated community, turning our neighbor in because he has mold on his roof."</p><p>But, as everyone at that meeting realized, change is coming.</p><p>The city's comprehensive growth plan has established potential living density at five units an acre — 25 times greater than what the land's zoning allows now and 25 times greater than what is allowed in Sarasota County.</p><p>The question is, how well does city culture mix with horses, bobcats and people who enjoy their solitude? The Woods at Venice, developer Neal Communities' plan for 151 acres at Jackson and Border roads, presents a microcosm of that tension.</p><p>And, what's happening in Venice may foreshadow the debate to come as the county moves toward the removal of regulations in its 2050 plan, which has limited development east of I-75.</p><p>The city annexed the Border Road property in 2008 at the end of a period in which developers and the owners of large tracts of land were trying to avoid the county's more restrictive 2050 rules. By annexing land into North Port or Venice, they could build more homes and maximize profit.</p><p>The results are reshaping Venice in the Laurel and Border roads area east of I-75. </p><p>Not including what has already been built at Willow Chase and the Venetian Golf and River Club, projects in the permitting pipeline could add 3,633 homes in Venice. All will come from land annexed in the last decade.</p><p>At 2.5 residents per unit, that could represent 9,082 new residents, boosting the city's population by about 45 percent.</p><p>"This is where planned growth is supposed to go, and finally it's started to come," says Venice senior planner Scott Pickett.</p><p>In this case, the arbitration of what could be a conflict rests with the Venice City Council.</p><p>Mayor John Holic says it's premature to come to any conclusions, but it appears the land is available for development and that the proposal fits the parameters of the city's comprehensive growth plan.</p><p>Neal Communities requests a zoning change from one home per five acres to two homes per acre. Allowing more homes will make the development more affordable and appeal to buyers who don't want multiple acres of property.</p><p>Company founder Pat Neal was not available to discuss the project, but he has said he's ready to talk with the neighbors for a third time. The first two meetings, required by the permitting process, occurred before people realized the ramifications of the changes that loom over their neighborhood.</p><p>"Pat wants to do the right thing," says Maryann Grgic, Neal's community and government relations director. "We're local. We're responsive. Issues that come up, we really try to go over and above."</p><p>Whether that extends to lopping off density remains to be seen. The neighbors hope so. "I don't fault him for being a developer," Pablo says. "But asking someone who's selling 3.6 houses a day to build a few less isn't an unreasonable request."</p><p>The de facto opposition leadership has fallen to Walt Rossman, who runs a printing business tied to the music industry; Pablo, a lifelong Border Road area resident and owner of two landscape companies; and Kevin Barton, who operates the nearby Wildlife Center of Venice, a rehabilitation facility. </p><p>Barton also owns property across Jackson Road from the proposed development.</p><p>They and their neighbors have formed an organization called Venice Area Citizens for Responsible Development. They've opened a Facebook page, called on county and city elected leaders, talked with staff from both jurisdictions, hired an attorney and mounted a grassroots campaign.</p><p>The neighbors fear that irrigation wells could deplete their source of drinking water, which also comes from wells. They worry about lights and traffic.</p><p>And, they say, the development raises the risk of flooding and threatens wildlife habitat.</p><p>In the last 20 years, the area, close to the Myakka River, has endured three 100-year floods.</p><p>FEMA's 1996 flood maps show all but the southwestern corner of the proposed Woods property lying in a "special flood hazard area."</p><p>Neighbors worry that if Neal Communities fills the land, it will leave floodwaters with no place to drain other than their properties.</p><p>"For a lot of us, one more foot of river rise is the difference between making it and losing everything," Pablo says.</p><p>The planned development also abuts the Sleeping Turtles Preserve and is just west of the T. Mabry Carlton Memorial Preserve and the Deer Creek Prairie Preserve. The preserves comprise a portion of a 101,500-acre complex of conservation lands that stretches into Manatee County and is known as the Myakka Island.</p><p>Together, they represent a local, regional and state effort to provide a wildlife corridor for species that need a lot of room to roam, says Julie Morris, who puts together parcels for that purpose through her Venice-based business, Wildlands Conservation.</p><p>State maps identify The Woods property as high priority for habitat conservation and resource value. That does not preclude development, Morris says, but she advocates a more moderate transition (one residence per five acres, for example) on the lands bordering the conservation areas.</p><p>That leaves greater freedom to protect the public's investment through techniques such as prescribed burns, especially important in the dry prairie and flatwoods that characterize the Myakka terrain, she said.</p>